MBTA train hits vehicle on tracks, no injuries

A commuter rail train hit a minivan that had accidentally driven onto the tracks at the Brighton Street crossing late last night.

Evan MacDonald/emacdonald@wickedlocal.com

A commuter rail train hit a minivan that had accidentally driven onto the tracks at the Brighton Street crossing late last night.

A female driver and two children were able to exit the vehicle before the crash occurred, and neither they nor anyone who was on the train was injured, Belmont Fire Chief David Frizzell said.

“The operator and two children had exited the vehicle before the crash had taken place,” Frizzell explained.

Belmont Fire and Police responded to the crash scene at 9:03 p.m., Frizzell said. The minivan sustained heavy passenger-side damage and was pushed about 500 feet down the tracks before both it and the train came to a stop.

The crash suspended service along the MBTA’s Fitchburg line, and buses were used to transport passengers between stations while the scene was being cleared. The vehicle was removed from the area by about 1 a.m., Frizzell said.

Channing Road resident Cindy Taylor she and her husband were inside their home when they heard the crash occur. The train and the minivan came to a stop right behind her home, just beyond the boundary of her backyard.

She applauded emergency personnel for their management of the scene.

“It was just a very well orchestrated by the police and fire departments,” she said. “They did a great job as far as traffic and those kind of things go. It wasn’t chaotic.”

However, Taylor noted that emergency personnel had to access the crash site through a gate in her backyard. A fire truck was parked on the street in front of her home, and fire personnel ran a hose and power line through her yard to the scene, she said.

This is the second time in several years a train accident has occurred in the area, Taylor said. She noted that it raises concerns about extending the Belmont Community Path through the area.